I just had a roomful of people from my English clubs leave my apartment...I didn't know that many people could fit into my tiny place! I thank them all for the bottom of my heart...a suprise party was the last thing I expected!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
English Club Update
It's been a while since I posted about our community English club. I thought today was a good day for this as the summer is winding down and I am about to get even busier with school starting in a few weeks. We have named our club(s) "Open Borders" because the group feels that with the ability to speak and understand English there are no borders in the world that can keep them out. I am so proud to be part of this community. Sunday's are my favorite day and I look forward to meeting the members, my friends, and also new members who pop into the club almost every week. We never know who will show up but it is always a surprise because everyone is welcome. A few weeks ago we had a man from England join up...that was a surprise! I happened to be in Romania that week but hope to meet Ted soon.
Some of the core members (the regulars) of the club have become friends and are starting to spend time together outside the library. I posted about our trip to Kharkov back in June, but since then we have gone bowling together and there are plans for future trips such as ice skaing and another "All-English" weekend in Uman. Some of us meet for tea and conversation while others connect through Facebook and the Russian equivilant, Connect. I have nominated Veronica, or rather, she has quite easily slipped into the role of, Social Secretary. Veronica happily plans trips and outings, gathers new members' contact infomation, keeps the group e-connected, and sends out the e-newsletter. Thanks Veronica!
Some of the core members (the regulars) of the club have become friends and are starting to spend time together outside the library. I posted about our trip to Kharkov back in June, but since then we have gone bowling together and there are plans for future trips such as ice skaing and another "All-English" weekend in Uman. Some of us meet for tea and conversation while others connect through Facebook and the Russian equivilant, Connect. I have nominated Veronica, or rather, she has quite easily slipped into the role of, Social Secretary. Veronica happily plans trips and outings, gathers new members' contact infomation, keeps the group e-connected, and sends out the e-newsletter. Thanks Veronica!
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| On the marshrutka |
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| In front of the bowling alley |
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| I'm so excited! |
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| Lovely Veronica |
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| I always have my mouth full! |
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| World's worst bowler in the foreground...the best in the back! |
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| Fashion forward |
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| Julia had good form! |
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| Natasia |
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| Julia (Sam, Kathryn, me, Patrick..all PCV's) and Irena. |
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| Alex..the big winner of the day! |
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| English Club in the Library |
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| I am so silly! |
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| English Club |
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The Wonders of Traveling-Part 4
Now, for the good stuff. Regardless of all the trials I have had to endure for this vacation, I came away with some really nice memories. Seeing my friends and colleagues, and putting up the exhibition at the Constanta Museum of Art...something I had been away from since I started my PC service...was wonderful. I also met people from all over the world when I was staying at the Green Frog Hostel. I never thought I would enjoy staying in a hostel but it was one of the high points of my stay. I always enjoy meeting people from other cultures and I came away from this experience feeling pretty good. Here are a few photos of my trip.
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| Sabina, Daniela and I out to lunch |
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| Sonia (Daniela's daughter), Daniela, and I in Bucharest park |
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| Some of the artwork (getting ready to be hung) |
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| Big chair sculpture in front of museum in Constanta |
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| Black Sea Port (Casino on right) |
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| Casino (Under reconstruction) across the street from our apartment |
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| Full moon over the Black Sea |
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| At the opening...Daniela's students advertising the exhibition "West Meets East" |
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| Two artists from Constanta, Romania |
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| Me and Daniela after the work was done |
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| Silly us |
The Wonders of Traveling-Part 3
The first day I woke up in Bucharest it was still blistering hot. I knew the weather was not going to change any time soon so I decided to bear with it and hope for the best. A Romanian friend and colleage stopped by the hostel at 10am. Sabina and I have similiar interests...not only as artists but as volunteers. We talked non-stop for hours and the time passed quite nicely. Daniela came by to join us at 2pm and treated us to a delicious lunch at a restaurant just around the corner from the hostel. So far so good...right?
After lunch we went to go visit a few galleries but on the way I needed to get some cash from the ATM. Any bank would do as I was using my personal Master Card from an international bank...something I had done many times before. (In fact, before I left Ukraine, I used the card to extract money to exchange for Euros...you remember how that story turned out....). So, needless to say it was not as easy as it sounded. My card was rejected from 8 different banks! Being Saturday none of the banks were open so I was unable to make any inquiries regarding this issue. Feeling okay about it, as Daniela had me covered for now, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the city and then made our way back to the hostel where we were greeted like family. Such nice people who work there I must say! They let me use their phone to call my bank in the US, and also allowed me to call the Peace Corps office in the city to let them know what was happening in case I was unable to get access to my money.
The bank assured me my money was available and the card not blocked. They suggested that sometimes Romanian banks reject cards because there is a lot of fraud here, and so I should enter a bank on Monday to have the teller access my money. They said to have the bank call them if there is a problem. I spoke with the Peace Corps county director who was absolutely wonderful. She assured me I would not be left alone without funds and to stay in touch. I had thought to go to the PC office Monday morning but Daniela had made arrangements for us to be tranported, with all the artwork, to Constanta at 7am Monday morning. Huh. I guess I would have to rely on her for a phone connection, as well as money, until things got sorted out.
Things did not get sorted out too quicky. In fact, I was without money for 4 days. Imagine being in a foreign country with no money? It was frustrating, to say the least. The first bank took my credit card and swiped it and the same issues occured, and they refused to call my bank. I couldn't call my bank or my PC office because my phone did not work in Romania. Daniela did not have international calling and I had to use her phone to call the PC country director in Bucharest, who would act as a go-between to alert PC Ukraine of my situation. By now, however, my allowence had come in and luckily I had enough money in my account to cover my trip. PC Ukraine assured me that Pro Credit was also in Romania and I should be able to get my allowence from any teller machine. How about...NOT?
Each time I went to use the Pro Credit bank card it was rejected due to insufficient funds. Now I knew there was enough funds because PC Ukraine called the bank to be sure. So, Daniela called her daughter to find the nearest Pro Credit bank and luckily there was one near the museum where we were setting up our exhibition. This screwed up everyone's timing of course because work was supposed to begin at 9am in the museum but I needed to get to the bank at that time. After all this time without money I was beginning to get a little upset. Daniela kept telling me not to worry she would take care of me but I didn't want to be taken care of! I wanted my own money! Plain and simple.
So, we found our way to the bank (the long way, unfortunately) and sat down with a bank rep who told me my Master Card was no good and she would not call the USA for me. She also told me I had insufficient funds in my PC account. I insisted that I did and she checked her records and said I didn't! So, I got back on Daniela's phone (Did I mention that her phone never stopped ringing?) when it was available to call PC Romania who then called PC Ukraine, who them called Ukraine Pro Credit who insisted that there was plenty of money in there. The women in the bank kept telling me there was nothing she could do...I had insufficient funds. At this point the level of frustration I had been feeling for 4 days came to a head. I simply broke down and cried. I couldn't help it. How can this be happening? How can I have all this money and have no access to it? How can people be so uncaring?
The women became affected by my distress and took me outside to try to use the card. We tried for 1000 RON, which was what I needed to cover expenses and pay Daniela back (about $270). Card rejected; insufficient funds. She tried 500 RON; same thing. Lastly she tried to withdraw 300 RON...BINGO! I was so relieved! Money! I had money!!!!! I extracted what I needed in smaller increments and felt the weight of the last 4 days life off my shoulders. What a nightmare.
Thank God I had the Peace Corps! I never felt alone in my plight because of them. If I couldn't get any money, as a last resort they said they would wire me some money. I can't image what not having them as a support system would have been like. Hmm. Oh, yes, I can. The last time I visited Romania when I ended up in the hospital....
Nothing is ever easy, is it?
After lunch we went to go visit a few galleries but on the way I needed to get some cash from the ATM. Any bank would do as I was using my personal Master Card from an international bank...something I had done many times before. (In fact, before I left Ukraine, I used the card to extract money to exchange for Euros...you remember how that story turned out....). So, needless to say it was not as easy as it sounded. My card was rejected from 8 different banks! Being Saturday none of the banks were open so I was unable to make any inquiries regarding this issue. Feeling okay about it, as Daniela had me covered for now, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the city and then made our way back to the hostel where we were greeted like family. Such nice people who work there I must say! They let me use their phone to call my bank in the US, and also allowed me to call the Peace Corps office in the city to let them know what was happening in case I was unable to get access to my money.
The bank assured me my money was available and the card not blocked. They suggested that sometimes Romanian banks reject cards because there is a lot of fraud here, and so I should enter a bank on Monday to have the teller access my money. They said to have the bank call them if there is a problem. I spoke with the Peace Corps county director who was absolutely wonderful. She assured me I would not be left alone without funds and to stay in touch. I had thought to go to the PC office Monday morning but Daniela had made arrangements for us to be tranported, with all the artwork, to Constanta at 7am Monday morning. Huh. I guess I would have to rely on her for a phone connection, as well as money, until things got sorted out.
Things did not get sorted out too quicky. In fact, I was without money for 4 days. Imagine being in a foreign country with no money? It was frustrating, to say the least. The first bank took my credit card and swiped it and the same issues occured, and they refused to call my bank. I couldn't call my bank or my PC office because my phone did not work in Romania. Daniela did not have international calling and I had to use her phone to call the PC country director in Bucharest, who would act as a go-between to alert PC Ukraine of my situation. By now, however, my allowence had come in and luckily I had enough money in my account to cover my trip. PC Ukraine assured me that Pro Credit was also in Romania and I should be able to get my allowence from any teller machine. How about...NOT?
Each time I went to use the Pro Credit bank card it was rejected due to insufficient funds. Now I knew there was enough funds because PC Ukraine called the bank to be sure. So, Daniela called her daughter to find the nearest Pro Credit bank and luckily there was one near the museum where we were setting up our exhibition. This screwed up everyone's timing of course because work was supposed to begin at 9am in the museum but I needed to get to the bank at that time. After all this time without money I was beginning to get a little upset. Daniela kept telling me not to worry she would take care of me but I didn't want to be taken care of! I wanted my own money! Plain and simple.
So, we found our way to the bank (the long way, unfortunately) and sat down with a bank rep who told me my Master Card was no good and she would not call the USA for me. She also told me I had insufficient funds in my PC account. I insisted that I did and she checked her records and said I didn't! So, I got back on Daniela's phone (Did I mention that her phone never stopped ringing?) when it was available to call PC Romania who then called PC Ukraine, who them called Ukraine Pro Credit who insisted that there was plenty of money in there. The women in the bank kept telling me there was nothing she could do...I had insufficient funds. At this point the level of frustration I had been feeling for 4 days came to a head. I simply broke down and cried. I couldn't help it. How can this be happening? How can I have all this money and have no access to it? How can people be so uncaring?
The women became affected by my distress and took me outside to try to use the card. We tried for 1000 RON, which was what I needed to cover expenses and pay Daniela back (about $270). Card rejected; insufficient funds. She tried 500 RON; same thing. Lastly she tried to withdraw 300 RON...BINGO! I was so relieved! Money! I had money!!!!! I extracted what I needed in smaller increments and felt the weight of the last 4 days life off my shoulders. What a nightmare.
Thank God I had the Peace Corps! I never felt alone in my plight because of them. If I couldn't get any money, as a last resort they said they would wire me some money. I can't image what not having them as a support system would have been like. Hmm. Oh, yes, I can. The last time I visited Romania when I ended up in the hospital....
Nothing is ever easy, is it?
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Wonders of Traveling-Part 2
I arrived in Bucharest safe and sound on Friday night. Daniela picked me up and got me to the hostel in good order but not, however, without a few glitches. (What is my life without a few of these after all?) SO.....
I arrived in Kiev Thursday after a rather pleasant 6 hour journey from home. It was the first time I took the day train into Kiev. Normally I take the evening train and arrive in the morning. I splurged and purchase a 2nd class ticket because I heard it was air conditioned and it was. Ahh.....nice.
I got on the Moscow-Sofia train okay. It arrived early and we were allowed to board and get ourselves situated before the train left. Mistake #1. I had forgotten that the A/C doesn't work when the train is idle. It was deadly hot. Once they hooked up a car for us everyone began crowding into the very cramped quarters all at once. I went to my compartment and there were like 8 people inside....I didn't know who was staying, who was going, who was in the wrong place...I had an old man trying to tell me I had the upper bunk when I knew this was incorrect. I had to get the conductor to straighten things out which he did but boy was it hot! Miserable! So...after a time the train got underway and it did get a little cooler...but not much. The overnight journey was quiet but hot. The A/C in our compartment was not working all that well...in fact, throughout the entire 27 hour journey, it just barely pumped out enough cool air to keep one person cool...let alone 4, and then only intermittently because the train stopped a lot.
So. The Ukrainian border...mid-day. My best guess would be 94 degrees and climbing outside, and more so inside. We stopped at the border for 3 hours. No toilet, no A/C, no food from the cafe car. Oh, did I mention that no one spoke any English? Or, that at the point when they took our passports and disappeared for all this time and then started to rip open the insides of our compartment looking for contraband and that I had no clue as to what was happening and I was a bit...freaked out? Bad enough to travel alone and not speak the language that everyone around you is speaking, but to have things happen and you have no idea what it is or why....hmm. Pretty scary. After a few hours of intense worry I met 2 guys who spoke English..one from Ukraine and the other from the Czech Republic. They explained why it takes 2-3 hours at the border of Ukraine. The tracks running from Russia through Ukraine are a wider gauge...the rest of the continent have the "other" size. The trains are crane-lifted and put onto different wheels. Huh. Now I get it.
Okay. So, we get to the Romanian border and have to sit for 1 more hour in the sweltering heat. Best guess: 105 degrees by now. I felt like I was in a toaster oven. By now I am beside myself with the heat..all of us are just DYING in there. The customs officials come aboard want to know if I smoke. In fact, they ask this of everyone. Those that admit to smoking are asked how many packs they are carrying. It turns out, there is a black market for Ukrainian cigarettes in Romania. The cigarettes are much cheaper so they are smuggled aboard the trains during stops. (A spoke to a French girl staying at my hostel in Bucharest and we were comparing our trips on this train line..her just coming into Bucharest from Sofia, Bulgaria. She told me that in the middle of the night the train stopped at a station in Bulgaria and a gypsy woman came into her compartment with a big bag of cigarettes and stored them with their luggage! I told her what I experienced and we figured that this is how they are smuggled into Romania. Someone must pick up the bag just over the border with no one the wiser. I told her she was lucky...who knows what could have happened if the border guards searched her compartment and found them?)
Okay. So. Onward to Bucharest. A few hours later we pulled into the Bucharest station and my friend Daniela is there with her daughter and her boyfriend. The train was an hour late but I was thankful to get off the thing. It was quite possibly the longest journey ever. Two days and one hour door to door, for a journey that, done by car, takes 16 hours total. Crazy.
So, off the train I go into the sticky heat of the evening (it's now midnight) so happy to see Daniela I forget all about how terrible the train ride was. I am so happy, in fact, the heat doesn't even phase me. We arrive at the hostel a few minutes later and I am pleasantly surprised...it's a lovely old building with lots of kitty cats lounging around. Oh Joy!
Or...not. My room is being used by someone else, it seems. The Chinese tourists who are sleeping in my bed had an issue with their flight and stayed another night. The only alternative is to stick me into the 8 bed dorm with lots of ...someones. I am not prepared for this. I am upset. I am tired and hot and keep asking 'but what about my reservation'? In this moment I recall that Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Elaine are at the car rental counter and they don't have the mid-sized car Jerry had reserved.
Incredulous, Jerry says "... so you know how to take the reservation...you just don't know how to hold the reservation..." Strange how the mind works when it's over-tired. I ended up across the street in the "annex" which was a nice place too, but I was put into the basement where someone lives. The guy was out partying all night and told not to come in until I had gone.....wow. Talk about strange. I really didn't like the fact that I could not lock the room, but the funny thing was, by this time I was so tired I didn't care and fell dead asleep until 7:30 am when I heard some movement outside my bedroom door.....huh.
I get up and peak around the corner and say "hello? Who's there"? This young man says not to worry...he won't bother me, to just go about my business. Yes, it's his apartment and he has some kind of agreement with the owner that he is some kind of "partner" in the business and that he is tired of all the overbookings...it happens all the time, it's not my fault but he is tired of giving up his bed. He said a lot more but it was incoherent. I asked where he was from and he said the USA...Georgia. I asked him what he was doing in Bucharest and he said he had this drunk driving thing and didn't want to bother with community service. Right away my radar goes up. Who runs away from community service? That's a slap on the wrist. This guy was headed for jail...this much I know without him saying anything more. The more he spoke the more I knew he was lying through his teeth. Boy, do I hate drama and I couldn't wait to get out of there. I packed up my shit quick and went across the street to the main hostel.
Back in the main hostel I run into Mario the night manager and right away I apologize for being such a bitch the night before and he said never mind it was their fault and he was sorry. He made me a lovely breakfast and we sat outside on the pation and gabbed for hours...a super nice man. Roxanna (the owner) came in later and I apologized to her too but she insisted it was their fault and gave me the first night for free. Nice. They are lovely people and I was very comfortable with my new room in the back (the Chinese tourists left) and the A/C was awesome! After spending 3 nights there I got to know these people farely well...I also know that they had been trying to unsuccessfully get rid of the person in the basement who I had encountered my first morning there...he wasn't a partner but a hanger-on of sorts who they couldn't shake loose. I told them he was a felon on the loose and to be careful.
How do I end up with so many crazy things happening? Is it me? Is it Romania? (Remember last time...) Well, Just wait. I am not finished yet. The best is yet to come.
I arrived in Kiev Thursday after a rather pleasant 6 hour journey from home. It was the first time I took the day train into Kiev. Normally I take the evening train and arrive in the morning. I splurged and purchase a 2nd class ticket because I heard it was air conditioned and it was. Ahh.....nice.
I got on the Moscow-Sofia train okay. It arrived early and we were allowed to board and get ourselves situated before the train left. Mistake #1. I had forgotten that the A/C doesn't work when the train is idle. It was deadly hot. Once they hooked up a car for us everyone began crowding into the very cramped quarters all at once. I went to my compartment and there were like 8 people inside....I didn't know who was staying, who was going, who was in the wrong place...I had an old man trying to tell me I had the upper bunk when I knew this was incorrect. I had to get the conductor to straighten things out which he did but boy was it hot! Miserable! So...after a time the train got underway and it did get a little cooler...but not much. The overnight journey was quiet but hot. The A/C in our compartment was not working all that well...in fact, throughout the entire 27 hour journey, it just barely pumped out enough cool air to keep one person cool...let alone 4, and then only intermittently because the train stopped a lot.
So. The Ukrainian border...mid-day. My best guess would be 94 degrees and climbing outside, and more so inside. We stopped at the border for 3 hours. No toilet, no A/C, no food from the cafe car. Oh, did I mention that no one spoke any English? Or, that at the point when they took our passports and disappeared for all this time and then started to rip open the insides of our compartment looking for contraband and that I had no clue as to what was happening and I was a bit...freaked out? Bad enough to travel alone and not speak the language that everyone around you is speaking, but to have things happen and you have no idea what it is or why....hmm. Pretty scary. After a few hours of intense worry I met 2 guys who spoke English..one from Ukraine and the other from the Czech Republic. They explained why it takes 2-3 hours at the border of Ukraine. The tracks running from Russia through Ukraine are a wider gauge...the rest of the continent have the "other" size. The trains are crane-lifted and put onto different wheels. Huh. Now I get it.
Okay. So, we get to the Romanian border and have to sit for 1 more hour in the sweltering heat. Best guess: 105 degrees by now. I felt like I was in a toaster oven. By now I am beside myself with the heat..all of us are just DYING in there. The customs officials come aboard want to know if I smoke. In fact, they ask this of everyone. Those that admit to smoking are asked how many packs they are carrying. It turns out, there is a black market for Ukrainian cigarettes in Romania. The cigarettes are much cheaper so they are smuggled aboard the trains during stops. (A spoke to a French girl staying at my hostel in Bucharest and we were comparing our trips on this train line..her just coming into Bucharest from Sofia, Bulgaria. She told me that in the middle of the night the train stopped at a station in Bulgaria and a gypsy woman came into her compartment with a big bag of cigarettes and stored them with their luggage! I told her what I experienced and we figured that this is how they are smuggled into Romania. Someone must pick up the bag just over the border with no one the wiser. I told her she was lucky...who knows what could have happened if the border guards searched her compartment and found them?)
Okay. So. Onward to Bucharest. A few hours later we pulled into the Bucharest station and my friend Daniela is there with her daughter and her boyfriend. The train was an hour late but I was thankful to get off the thing. It was quite possibly the longest journey ever. Two days and one hour door to door, for a journey that, done by car, takes 16 hours total. Crazy.
So, off the train I go into the sticky heat of the evening (it's now midnight) so happy to see Daniela I forget all about how terrible the train ride was. I am so happy, in fact, the heat doesn't even phase me. We arrive at the hostel a few minutes later and I am pleasantly surprised...it's a lovely old building with lots of kitty cats lounging around. Oh Joy!
Or...not. My room is being used by someone else, it seems. The Chinese tourists who are sleeping in my bed had an issue with their flight and stayed another night. The only alternative is to stick me into the 8 bed dorm with lots of ...someones. I am not prepared for this. I am upset. I am tired and hot and keep asking 'but what about my reservation'? In this moment I recall that Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Elaine are at the car rental counter and they don't have the mid-sized car Jerry had reserved.
Incredulous, Jerry says "... so you know how to take the reservation...you just don't know how to hold the reservation..." Strange how the mind works when it's over-tired. I ended up across the street in the "annex" which was a nice place too, but I was put into the basement where someone lives. The guy was out partying all night and told not to come in until I had gone.....wow. Talk about strange. I really didn't like the fact that I could not lock the room, but the funny thing was, by this time I was so tired I didn't care and fell dead asleep until 7:30 am when I heard some movement outside my bedroom door.....huh.
I get up and peak around the corner and say "hello? Who's there"? This young man says not to worry...he won't bother me, to just go about my business. Yes, it's his apartment and he has some kind of agreement with the owner that he is some kind of "partner" in the business and that he is tired of all the overbookings...it happens all the time, it's not my fault but he is tired of giving up his bed. He said a lot more but it was incoherent. I asked where he was from and he said the USA...Georgia. I asked him what he was doing in Bucharest and he said he had this drunk driving thing and didn't want to bother with community service. Right away my radar goes up. Who runs away from community service? That's a slap on the wrist. This guy was headed for jail...this much I know without him saying anything more. The more he spoke the more I knew he was lying through his teeth. Boy, do I hate drama and I couldn't wait to get out of there. I packed up my shit quick and went across the street to the main hostel.
Back in the main hostel I run into Mario the night manager and right away I apologize for being such a bitch the night before and he said never mind it was their fault and he was sorry. He made me a lovely breakfast and we sat outside on the pation and gabbed for hours...a super nice man. Roxanna (the owner) came in later and I apologized to her too but she insisted it was their fault and gave me the first night for free. Nice. They are lovely people and I was very comfortable with my new room in the back (the Chinese tourists left) and the A/C was awesome! After spending 3 nights there I got to know these people farely well...I also know that they had been trying to unsuccessfully get rid of the person in the basement who I had encountered my first morning there...he wasn't a partner but a hanger-on of sorts who they couldn't shake loose. I told them he was a felon on the loose and to be careful.
How do I end up with so many crazy things happening? Is it me? Is it Romania? (Remember last time...) Well, Just wait. I am not finished yet. The best is yet to come.
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